Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-27
WILKIE COLLINS
TELLS THE SECRET OF THE fA-
NOUS WOMAN IN WHITE"

The Great Novelist Writes to an Ameri-
can Lady About His Methods of Work.
He Describes the Building of the Story.
The Title.
You ask me, frankly, to tell you how I
write my books, and you express an opinion
that other persons besides yourself may be in
terested in the result if l comply with your
request. am not at all sure that have the
honor of agreeing with you My own i'm
preston is that the public cares little how
hooks are written. If the books are easy to
get. and if they prove to be interesting, the
general reader asks for nothing more. You
assert upon this that there is but one way or
deciding which is the sound opinion, yours or
mine, and that way is-to try the expert
meut Your will is law. Let the experiment
BE- tried
All nv novels are produced by the same
literary method. If we take one book as an
example, shall perhaps be able to make my
self more readily understood, and shall GER
tainly occupy less of your time. When l
think of the claims of the toilet, the claims
of the shops. the claims of conversation, the
claims of horse exercise and claims of chat
go 80 " of h,,rdrs1s of other smaller
.S,,,..,,.;o,,. NV resract for the value of
your time is part of my respect for yourself.
Which book shall we choose as a specimena
Shall it be the most popular book Very
well. I have now to tell you how wrote
1.-THE Woman in White"
NV first proceeding is to get my central
80 a. - -, r,,h;ob tho storv turns
Ts - a. If s.,rh, Woman in W-bitsn
70 tho ;daa If q consriracv in nrivata life in
,,,h;oh oi,o,,,rs+.roos arc so handled as IN rob |
a ,,o-non of har idantitv Nv confopndipe- her
,.,;,h onotba, woman sufficiently like her in |
,,srsonaI orn,ararce 10 answer the wictad |
,,,.uro.o tn dos,r,,c+;op If har id.nt;ty |
,,,,rosapts n erst division of the story. the |
,.oro,,o-,, NJ bar ;dentitv ,narls q sacond d. |
vision
| NJ, ,,r+,.a, do. ,,o,t ercr,os+s gonna ~ INV
,hiat oh.roc.are A cloy,er de,-;l ,nps. con-
L., A.. ,.o,,.,ir,a,- Ma1o LII, a., fo,,,oIa
al, tn ,o,.. ~ y,,;ol,od,,oss ,o,tod oao,,,s
-, ,,.;oI-,,,,,o.s p,,to-,o = -,
g.. f., sa;,,.,,, ,,,a,,.,l h;,,,.ois =
49, -. - -, l.. -, -
-, s;I- -. -, -. -.
tn. -. ~ - ;-.,oa,,S4 - h,,.I -
-. -, - -, - :.
- -. -, ~.
a.sa. - 81 ~ r.. III. III a.
g., - -. -. ~
- - - ..,I.s
ue" oiio' anu iai, ,1Ape. 'en'T IeA'' me W
nv ~ =. ouoie a'oe' ~, onu vlif,V
DSue. "oan ~ oDnie u ilsi IN aSooiu
ne ~ ~, o 90 - ''ho
'n my o11 io' NO DI4'I .el iuinu'e1, my
pef'eIse oia,il se' 70 y, "oiA ~l'nou' coiSul'is
ms vi 1Anie Ta'nei iuA eoiiie' ii'o ''e
'oTin anu Nay nc -,
na.o eo' a n lu." naeo gu 'uie u ny
ena n:'' 10 'noio " nv now NY
.t no., p 'es W en ''e ny 'A'
u, NV, soro.;., .,,.,o oesou., ,,-. l.,
lS.ni r.. -. =. . uiu.' - On
$3.50. So - Isl, ~ 'ne oe
cunning 'e0oiiu eiior 10 heep ene eOoiy
a-"a.s aas al,ei NJ "l.nous pay ius 'ne s,nan-
=, - =; $50, - POI ~ n
e.. ~ 80 - 80, IA nu.Ii. -
So, - - - - 80 50
49, 80 ,,;aoas =. ~ 49,
.a,,ar i,,t, datai,s. 7 roaraIr cat ~, Ia,,S
.a,.,,. H. 80 a. 49, ~ -
-t - - 49, u
Co. etllI q. 'ne '1llo
1890 Tha.o diSoora.;an 80 ~ - u nem
81 naaror 90 firdi,C, tta 1T ~ IT,.
It. 5oo;loI ~, O., t,,,,. .. - -.
r,irn;r nd I,Oi, Of T. 81 ~
,,,;,h - 49, ',ei',, an, "a. .i-
worst ta,nntation that bssets n l - The ,
,ornrtatiop m hao,;n WITH s+r;,,i,,, i,,o;,o,,+
,,-;tho,,t a., ~. -, .,,~l'
,,,a.a+io,,s ,ha+ '7,,,st "a III soI,n,I w.,
rests of fiction tn reader and writer aIile
can only no aradicatad in ono ,v.v Jho,-a
,Iread,, mentioned +ba NOV 10 ho,-; ~ a.
h.oinn;no In The cosa of s.1,ha IT,, i,
yyb;tan got back fos voin,,, ha,iar[l - ~
trpa stsrt;ng noint of rho s+orv Tor, now. ~
I;hartv IN set tho now novel .,oin,, ho,-;,,r,
10. mo ror,ao. NO WV tho,, D.. e,,.Ii. o.
.,o,,, o,d choract.-s hafors a,,d -.
the details in each casa n, The sn,,r Of Tie
moment
For a wool, nc we'll nc 7 ron -ar,or,bo-
,yo,l for tho boS+ ,,.+ 80 o,,o,.,, 5o,, H.. -.
.s hon,,i,,, as ,,s,,aT A. ,,r,,Ia.a,,, - os
snuething WRONG, worries me At +be h.r,;r-
ming of the second waak a disbaar,snirs, d.
coverv raveals itsaIf Iboye NET foi,,,d +ba
,;,,ht hoC;,nircr ~ .e1,to W., :, W.
,,s, -''''-
Tho scsna NJ INV or.nir,, cbo,,+o,-D 10 :, c,,-,
HorI,rd N;s. Eairl;o 1of.ar.,,eI-
c,,,da,. NJ Ea;.I;a ,;.h e' 10 10 -; -
-. - IL -. t-aar,I'. N un,I'te
.discoy.red snddaniv liz AM C,a+harin,-,
orc on ,,-.;,;rrr +ha o-r;,,aI - - 49,,
=, 80, W. - 1'ee
49,. rs. a. m, -. Ia - . 81 nv w.
80 ~ W. Aru pelson ~ 81, NC III 81 ih'lo-
airaad,a tan,iIior e. tl .ta - - De
.ha - aanarnaraa ~ ' =. r.ah "nen
Tr,a % -. mp 49, r i..o '" IuinDei lahu'
10 . " 40 ..-usS oo uono' DuN uon SEQ
nuI NV an ~, n 80 ounes 70 iie,
don't sy,s.l, 70 eacb o+har nna aI,o,,;n ~
hanro,, IN 90 80 = i,,,,atio ,,,, -, us
t-a,,, NJ as,,,,,,, % 80 -
III, =, ,-,,,a,i 70 $3.50. ~ iine'
onn,ss n mo Of Kaitar uar.r;rh.;, ,ais,iesa
,,.at;,,,, ,,,;th TTa.L,,-
~ as,'r, .e1,h,, ~, =. w., IN.
sao;, and ,obadr iii - LIE ni
- j., I. -, IS % il .IUNu
tha ,o~t q ,,onttS 49, 49,, .,.-,pOa NO. "a ::
-o,I hard vvori, ~ ~. ~. ~ - -
for this excellent reason. the work IL its owl,